“Oh, but I love walking,” said the dog fervently. “It’s my favorite time of the day when my mistress decides to take me out of the house, and we go down to the dog park. I get to hang out with the other dogs while our humans all shoot the breeze. It’s great fun.”

  “Odd that we’ve never met,” I said. “We hang out at the dog park from time to time.”

  The doggie’s eyes went even wider now. “If we had met, I would definitely remember, Mr. Max. I could never forget a cat like you!”

  I had a feeling I’d done my work a little too well and had put the fear of God into this dog. So I now relaxed. “I’m sorry for scaring you,” I said. “But like my friend Dooley says, I haven’t eaten, and when I’m hungry, I tend to get cranky.”

  The dog’s face broke into a huge smile. “Oh, but I can totally relate. When I don’t eat, I also get cranky. Very cranky indeed!”

  “You wouldn’t... happen to have some leftovers for us, would you?” asked Dooley. “It’s just that all this murder business always makes me hungry.”

  “Me too,” I admitted.

  “Follow me!” said the dog, having become animated now that she realized we weren’t going to bring out the handcuffs and place her under arrest. So we followed her into the kitchen, and she led us straight to her bowl, which contained some delicious-smelling kibble. But before we could dig in, Odelia actually swooped in, scooped up the bowl, and placed it on the kitchen counter!

  “Hey!” I said, still holding on to my alternate persona, which I tentatively would have called ‘Mad Max.’ “What do you think you’re doing? We were going to eat that!”

  “No, you’re not,” said Odelia decidedly. “We’re guests here, Max, and guests don’t go around eating food from their host without first receiving an invitation.”

  “But she did offer us an invitation,” I said, pointing to Babette.

  Odelia smiled. “The owner needs to offer an invitation,” she clarified, “not the owner’s dog.”

  “A new rule,” said Dooley with a touch of sadness. “Always new rules to follow, Max. It does get complicated after a while, doesn’t it?”

  “It sure does,” I said with a sigh.

  “Just dig in!” Babette whispered invitingly. “I’ll cover for you!”

  “Cover for us?” I asked with a frown. But since Babette clearly believed in giving service, she now suddenly jumped up, dug her teeth into Chase’s calf, and didn’t let go again. It was a funny sight: the dog hung from Chase’s leg, her tiny teeth just sharp enough to provide some traction against his jeans but not sharp enough to cut through the fabric and into Chase’s actual leg and do damage.

  The cop lifted his leg and studied the dangling dog for a moment, then smiled. “Aren’t you just the cutest, sweetest little dog?”

  I could tell that Babette wanted to respond to this, but since that meant she had to let go of her quarry, she decided to give the cop the silent treatment instead.

  Unfortunately she was no match for the cop, so he simply plucked her from his leg like one plucks an apple from a tree and held her in the palm of his hand. “And what’s your name, huh?” he said. “Isn’t he just the cutest, babe?”

  “He is,” Odelia confirmed as she tickled the doggie behind the ears.

  “Now, Mr. Max!” said Babette. “They’re distracted!”

  Normally, I’m not all that quick off the mark, but I was feeling peckish, so I didn’t need to be told twice. And while our humans enjoyed themselves with Babette, Dooley and I quickly nabbed the few remaining nuggets of kibble from her bowl. They certainly hit the spot.

  “Thanks, Babette,” I said.

  “Don’t mention it,” said the doggie.

  But when Odelia looked back and saw the empty bowl, her expression clouded. And I had the impression she would have said something, but at that moment, Abe walked back in, accompanied by one of his assistants, so she merely proceeded to glower at us.

  Somehow, I had a feeling she wasn’t happy with our work. But at least my stomach wasn’t empty anymore, so we could get on with the case. I mean, it’s hard to detect and hunt for clues on an empty stomach! Even detectives have to eat.

  Get Purrfect Ghost Now

  ABOUT NIC

  Nic has a background in political science and before being struck by the writing bug worked odd jobs around the world (including but not limited to massage therapist in Mexico, gardener in Italy, restaurant manager in India, and Berlitz teacher in Belgium).

  When he’s not writing he enjoys curling up with a good (comic) book, watching British crime dramas, French comedies or Nancy Meyers movies, sampling pastry (apple cake!), pasta and chocolate (preferably the dark variety), twisting himself into a pretzel doing morning yoga, going for a run, and spoiling his big red tomcat Tommy.

  He lives with his wife (and aforementioned cat) in a small village smack dab in the middle of absolutely nowhere and is probably writing his next ‘Mysteries of Max’ book right now.

  www.nicsaint.com

  Copyright © 2023 by Nic Saint. All rights reserved.

  Published by Puss in Books.

  Edited by Chereese Graves.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval without permission in writing from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

 

 

  Nic Saint, Purrfect Star (The Mysteries of Max Book 70)

 

 

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